With the increasing variety of content on OTT platforms, the number of R-rated productions is on the rise. While this is nothing new for international platforms, the noticeable increase in such content on domestic OTT services is a noteworthy trend.
As domestic OTT platforms push the envelope, TV broadcasters are also raising content restrictions. It has now become the norm rather than a shocking twist for a drama to feature a bed scene in its first episode.
Looking at the top 10 most buzzworthy TV and OTT dramas recently, six are from OTT platforms, and five of them are rated R. This means that half of the top 10 trending works are mature-rated productions.
Some viewers are questioning, “Did this really need to be R-rated?” and criticizing the trend as “too provocative.” On the other hand, experts argue that rather than limiting content to a 15+ category, the evolving media landscape calls for greater diversity in productions.
Even so, as more provocative content emerges in domestic OTT and broadcasting, many viewers find the shift unfamiliar. The industry is going through a phase where highly explicit content is gradually establishing itself in the domestic market.
Tving’s “The Queen Who Crowns” went as far as including nudity to emphasize its R-rating, whereas tvN aired a 15+ version. Meanwhile, despite Netflix’s “Squid Game 2” being an international OTT production, it remains a domestic title. Like its predecessor, it features a brutal survival competition where only one person can win, reinforcing its violent and sexually explicit themes, making it R-rated.
Additionally, Coupang Play’s “Newtopia” is a zombie genre series that continuously depicts gory scenes, whereas Tving’s “Study Group” and U+ Mobile TV’s “Friendly Rivalry” are both school dramas yet received a mature audience rating. *Study Group* features multiple fight scenes, while “Friendly Rivalry” includes drug use and same-sex kiss scenes. One particularly talked-about moment was a scene where Hyeri and Jung Soo-bin share a kiss while bathing together in a tub.
Even non-OTT productions have incorporated bed scenes from the very first episode, such as “Motel California”, “The Queen Who Crowns”, “When the Stars Gossip”, and “Buried Hearts”.
The current TV landscape is filled with R-rated content. As productions and content diversify, viewers now have a wider range of choices. The audience actively selects and watches these works, turning them into trending topics.
With half of the trending shows being R-rated, the rating itself has become a point of intrigue and discussion before a drama even airs. As this trend is expected to continue, it remains to be seen whether R-rated content will fully cement itself in the domestic industry to the point where it is no longer considered a special distinction.
